Luke Molver's Review of Mashu oMusha





The Artist Luke Molver was one of  the first to buy the SciFi book, and has written us and the world a review. If you haven't got it yet, get it.
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GODS OF THREE-ROCK
A few words on the world of Mashu oMusha

" Barely anyone knew where the so-called Milky Way galaxy was anymore... these were long-forlorn pirate paths. Only the lowest forms of selves wanted Body. Even the narcissistic hedonists got into Universe Engineering eventually."

Like the best science fiction literature, Khaya Maseko's Mashu oMusha does not spoonfeed the reader expositionary chunks of its world... it grabs you by the brain and drags you directly into its deep end.
After an opening prologue that sets up the broader cosmic framework of the tale (from one very unique character's perspective), the reader is transported to a far more intimate (and to some, familiar) setting... because a lot of great stories start in a bar.

The time is the near future, the place is Azania... formerly known as South Afrika, the beautiful country with a battered history... the country both Maseko and myself grew up in, albeit with different racial experiences. However, I believe any South African will recognize and relate to the people and places in Mashu oMusha, regardless of race, whether fans of sci-fi or not. South Africa is a melting pot of cultures, languages and religions, and Maseko effortlessly seasons his story with these spices, not as trite narrative devices but carefully and affectionately, further enriching his world with realistic local dialects and cultural idiosyncrasies recognizable to all South Africans. This is not to say the writing is unfriendly toward non-South Africans, on the contrary - the uniqueness of the setting and Maseko's skill in conveying it is integral to the story's appeal.

In another tradition of great sci-fi, Mashu oMusha also explores a diverse spectrum of socio-political themes and ideas, made particularly resonant within the South African setting. Often through satire, and occasionally with a darker perspective of gritty realism, Mashu oMusha explores ideas of race, identity, gender politics and the spaces in between.

Maseko's world-building in Mashu oMusha reminded me of the urbanized intimacy of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, yet also possesses the star-gazing scope of Frank Herbert's Dune. Maseko inroduces lofty and often fantastical concepts throughout his story, but grounds them in a realistic setting... wait till you hear about Bonge, phi-lters and the quasi-apocalyptic  Global Overhaul Devices, or 'G.O.Ds'. Mad kool.

While many of these ideas are the stuff of classic sci-fi, the characters are all recognizable and fully-realized, making the story consistently relatable regardless of the futuristic technological concepts within the narrative.

While Maseko's book has elements of cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic and hard sci-fi, I believe it transcends all of these genres to stand as something very unique, a piece of sociological science fiction that is ultimately a hopeful work - a story that imagines a better, smarter and more independent future for the people of South Africa and the world.

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